Banknote Design and Security

Banknotes are probably the best-protected artworks in the world.

Form follows function: this is a frequently quoted and well-known phrase from the American architect Louis Sullivan, who – as the “father of skyscrapers” – had significant influence on architecture in the US at the end of the 19th century. The banknote, a design object, is a prime example of this statement. Banknotes are more than just official documents that are used as a legal means of payment; they are calling cards for a country, and reflect its culture and tradition. When designing a banknote, content and aesthetics must be visually harmonized and combined with functionality, all on a very small area.

Read more here about how we make banknotes a secure and lasting work of art.

Banknotes are more than printed paper – they are a nation’s calling card. They represent a people’s finest moments, as well as its history, culture, values; but at the same time they must also “earn their money”. Bernd Kümmerle, Member of the G+D Currency Technology Management Board and Head of the Banknote Solutions Division, explains how to master this balancing act.

Several million banknotes, five state-of-the-art banknote processing systems, and one global first – all successfully delivered to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (CBDR) in 2017 by G+D Currency Technology, working within a very tight timeframe.

Trust is a currency whose purchasing power cannot be overestimated. Also: „Anyone who creates trust creates stable values,“ says Dr. Wolfram Seidemann, the CEO of Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology. A conversation about the inspiring powers of stability in times of change.

1988 saw the first use of a hologram on a circulating note. Since then, holograms, also known as diffractive Optically Variable Devices (OVDs), have become one of the most common Level 1 security features on banknotes.

Secure, durable, attractive, and easily processed by machine – that’s how banknotes should be. Requirements for bankote substrates used are similarly complex. The scalable portfolio from G+D Currency Technology offers proven cotton paper and a range of innovative solutions which can ideally complete a banknote series.

How long a banknote lasts is very dependent on how the public handles it. There are regional as well as cultural differences here. Whether people mostly carry their money in a wallet or keep it loose in their pockets has a major impact, for example.